Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Chinese New Year 2009
Jia you yi lao, ru you yi bao.
Chinese New Year was alright. My aunt lent us her car so that it would ease our traveling. It was super crammed up in the car. Can you imagine, eight people squeezing into a five-seater car? Haha, I think a few years ago, squeezing ourselves into a vehicle like that was not too bad. I wouldn't say it was good. This time, well, all of us are bigger! Back pain sia...
We went to six places on the first day. One of the places was my mum's cousin's relative's house at Neptune Court.
I think that somethings are just not right during Chinese New Year. School seizes this opportunity to give us more homework because they think that it's a good time to catch up on our work, being a public holiday and a long weekend. Well I seriously hope that at least for once, some respect for tradition shall be shown. So much has been done to preserve Singapore's heritage through means of shows like the recently popular "Little Nyonya". But what actually is happening here?
Alright, perhaps smaller families or families with fewer relatives to visit would think that it is okay having homework over these two days. But I think not. There are people with relatively larger families too! Urgh. Although we managed to visit quite a few families and relatives, the time that we spend there isn't long enough for us to reunite.
Physical reunion will never outbeat the emotional reunion.
Sigh.
I thought that it was kinda demeaning- to do homework during Chinese New Year. Some of my friends had forgone their plans to visit relatives and why? To finish up on their mountain-load of homework. I'm not totally against the pragmatism in this particular practice, but please, spare a thought for us, and give us less.
What are holidays for? Isn't it a time to relax and recuperate? "Holiday homework" is but an oxymoron.
Pardon me for my words. I just feel rather frustrated.
Some relatives seemed like strangers to me already.
"Who are they? Have I seen them before?"
Figuratively speaking, I felt claustrophobic inside. Chinese New Year was something pretty on the outside, but apparently, I'm trapped from experiencing it's full beauty.
It was so restricted to me...
"Well, that was it," I thought. "My Chinese New Year."
It wasn't over.
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I tried to find some other meaning and something worth remembering and learning from this yearly occasion. Yeah, amidst the frustration though.
On Tuesday night, I was at my granduncle's place for dinner. We had nyonya dishes and devil's curry; a sumptious dinner it was. :)
My granduncle's name is Alan. Granduncle Alan. Or more commonly addressed as Sa-chek Kong. He would come by to the table and recite quotes that he painstakingly memorised by heart. He would then test us to see if we knew who said that line.
For instance, "Never negotiate out of fear and never fear to negotiate."
Who's line was it??
John F. Kennedy. :)
And there were some other quotes that he shared which he forgot who said them.
"A tongue is like a sharp knife, it kills without drawing blood.
But a wholesome tongue is a tree of life."
Sa-chek Kong asked also, "What is life's greatest gift?"
My dad was seated at the side of my table too. All three of us were silent and deep in thought. Then came granduncle Lawrence.
He said, "BEER."
LOL! It was out of the blue.
He'd have his two-bits worth into what we're talking about too. Funny granduncle.
Eventually, sa-chek kong gave me the two sheets of hand-written quotes. They are treasures to me. I'll post them when the time is right.
Before we left, this was what he said that left the Chinese New Year 09 mark on me:
"Thank you for listening to me."
I think it is what we should all do whenever we have the chance to meet up with our loved ones, more so for the older generations. They have much to share with you, all it takes is patience, and a listening ear.
Jia you yi lao, ru you yi bao.
Thank you God.
to change the world.
|
i am, christopher lye
21 on 15 March 2012
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